Oh, You Want to Know My Weekend Plans?

Oh, it's no big deal, really. I'm just going...ON A CRUISE!

Yes. It is true. I am going with three girlfriends (Lisa, Chelsie and Shannon) on a cruise down the Yangtze River - the longest river in China, and the third longest river in the world (after the Nile in Africa and the Amazon in South America).

The ship sounds pretty cool. Here is what it says on the website:

"Victoria Katarina set a new standard in cruise ship design for Yangtze River cruising when it was inaugurated in 2004. The premier ship is constructed with Victoria Cruises personal touches blending both modern and elegant architecture. The Victoria Katarina takes luxury cruising on the Yangtze to a whole new level with its generous cabin space, floor-to-ceiling windows, and private balconies opening up to breathtaking views.

The Katarina is equipped with the latest technologies, including internet access, fax machines, and international phone systems, enabling you to contact family and friends during your Yangtze journey.

In addition to the finest hardware and shipboard technologies, the Victoria Katarina boasts the same outstanding service offered on all Victoria ships--the best on the Yangtze."

The ship accommodates a little less than 300 people, and we are going to some pretty cool places - Fengdu Ghost City, Lesser Three Gorges, the Three Gorges Dam...it's going to be great, I think.

We are leaving on Wednesday as soon as I finish writing a mid-term (Introduction to E-Commerce), which will be around 9 pm. Since we are flying out of Shenzhen on Thursday morning (it was a LOT cheaper to do this), we are going to stay at Queen Spa overnight...yay!

On Sunday, the cruise ends at Yichang, which isn't too far from a cool city called Wuhan. So, we are going to bus to Wuhan, spend a night and a few hours on Monday there, and then head back to Shenzhen, and then to Hong Kong, on Monday afternoon.

What a life!